Ethics & Sustainability

Faith Guitars recognise the importance of an ethical and sustainable manufacturing process, and we are conscious that this concerns many of our current and future players.

 

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JUST ONE Tree

As part of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and ensuring the business is ever more sustainably and ethically administered, Faith Guitars are delighted to be an official partner of JUST ONE Tree - pledging to plant at least one tree for every guitar sold globally.

JUST ONE Tree is a not-for-profit organisation based in the UK who plant trees in areas severely affected by deforestation to maximise the effect on reducing global warming. In the process they help to provide agricultural education and sustainable incomes to local communities.

But they don’t stop there. JUST ONE Tree concentrates on restoring the entire ecosystem by planting on land and in the oceans, and they also focus on helping to shape the next generation of planet-conscious thinkers by bringing environmental education into the classrooms with lesson plans and JUST ONE Tree Day.
www.justonetree.life

 

Faith Guitars - Our Workshops

Firstly, there is no difference in the ethics or sustainability of any particular model. All models of all price levels are made with the same ethical values. All that differs is the particular specification of each model.

Faith Guitars are made in West Java, Indonesia using many hand-building and hand-finishing techniques that deliver the quality you have come to expect.
All workshops are climate controlled to the appropriate level depending upon the particular process taking place in that location.
Staff are looked after well, with training and high retention levels. Indonesian legislation ensures that any weekend or overtime work is paid at a higher rate, with regular hours being 8am till 5pm, 5 days per week.

The Faith Guitars team are in constant contact with our workshops and make frequent visits, plus invite our international distributors to visit with us to see production in process, and to inspect for themselves.  We are confident that the conditions and ethics of these locations meet the high standards we expect.

You read more about our workshops here.

 

Faith Guitars - The Tonewoods

The Englemann Spruce, Sitka Spruce or Red Cedar is from North America, Canada or Spain purchased through large US or Canadian tonewood merchants that supply most all guitar manufacturers.
All Spruce / Cedar tops will be from FSC Certified sources with verification from Tonewood, Spain / Acoustic Wood, Canada etc. 

The African Khaya Mahogany is sourced from European tonewood merchants (usually Maderas Barber in Spain) who offer tonewood with FSC Certification. Khaya Mahogany's country of origin is usually Cameroon. 

Maple for the Maple binding is sourced in pre-cut lengths from China or Korea. This Maple would usually have originated in China. 

Indonesian Legal WoodThe Indonesian Mahogany, Sonekeling Rosewood, Trembesi, Mango and Ebony is all from Java or Makassar, and has been sourced through local, government approved timber merchants using the 'Indonesia Legal Wood' Scheme, SVLK (Sistem Verificasi Legalitas Kayu).
Under Indonesian law, SVLK certification and related documents (SVLK certificates and export licences called V-Legal Documents) constitute proof of legality for Indonesian timber products. This system was created in conjunction with the EU to ensure the legality of timber export from Indonesia into the EU. 

Each order of timber that our workshops recieve is supplied with SVLK paperwork, which is then filed and must be kept for inspection by Indonesian goverment officials when requested. 

Faith Guitars has an excellent relationship with the workshop administration with a firm agreement that all wood used in the construction of Faith Guitars must be certified as 'Indonesian Legal Wood', SVLK. 

The timber is generally supplied to the workshops fully itemised and in plank form – before being cut and spliced in house once it has fully dried and matured.

Like 99% of traditional guitar builders, we use sometimes use traditional Hide Glue (made of animal hide) for fixing the end of the fingerboard to the body, although there is a gradual move to newer forms of synthetic glues which are not animal-derived.
Hide glue is used as it makes it easier to remove the glue with heat if the neck were ever to need removing. So we cannot claim to be Vegan friendly. This glue is purchased from US guitar luthier merchants.

 

Information for Vegans:

Historically, traditional guitar builders have used Hide Glue (made of animal hide) for fixing the end of the fingerboard to the body. The hide glue is used as it makes it possible to remove the glue with heat if the neck were ever to need removing. We used to use Hide Glue, but on Faith guitars made from 2021 onwards (check the first 2 digits of the serial number) we have replaced this Hide Glue with synthetic, white glue. So there are no longer any animal products in the glue
However, the rosette inlays around the soundhole are made from Abalam / Abalone, and the logos are Mother of Pearl. 
With both types of shell, these materials are a by-product of the fishing industry and originate in either Australia or New Zealand.